The present invention relates to simulated Christmas trees and the like, comprised of illuminated electric lights and supporting structure.
In connection with the Christmas holiday celebration, a traditional practice is to decorate a conical shape evergreen tree with lights. Typically that requires the effort and expense of purchasing a cut tree, erecting and decorating it with lights and the like. And, when the season is over, further effort is required to remove the decorations and dispose of the tree. In recent years, durable artificial plastic trees that look very much like traditional natural evergreen trees have been available. However, such trees are relatively bulky and awkward with respect to storing, when the Christmas season is over. And, as with natural cut trees, they are prone to be blown over in a storm unless properly mounted. Thus there is a continuing need for pleasing Christmas tree decorations which are economic and easy to erect and store.
For a number of years, string lights for Christmas trees and other decorations have been comprised of miniature electric light bulbs. The bulbs are mounted in sockets and connected by wires. They have become popular because they are durable and have relatively low cost. Such string lights, and other style light arrays, have been fabricated in various ways, in the forms of nets, to either make it easier to put them on conventional or artificial plastic trees. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,096,943 of Forrer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,723 to Lerner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,951 of Corelli, U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,621 to Mauro, and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 384,174 to Smith. In the prior inventions, a common approach is to have strings of lights run outwardly (downwardly) from a central point at the top of the tree.
Articles have been constructed using illuminated bulbs, to create the conical appearance of a Christmas tree. Often, they involve light strings held in place by mechanical components, such as a stand or frame. U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,502 to Cantin shows how lengths of plastic tubing are run upwardly from a base to converge at an apex, making a cone of tubing. A light string spirals downwardly around the cone shape of the frame. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 390,806 of Skarda, Jr. shows a similar tubular arrangement, but the light strings are run directly from the frame apex to the base, rather than spiraling. U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,701 to Hines describes a collapsible tree comprised of a series of hoops interconnected by plastic bands, supported from a center pole. Electric lights are mounted on each of the hoops. U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,270 of Laasko describes a simulated tree in which strings of lights run from a collar at the top of a collapsible center pole to spaced apart attachment points at a hoop like base at the bottom of the pole.
While all the foregoing prior art devices are collapsible in one way or the other, many of them involve a multiplicity of parts. That means that much time and labor must be consumed in assembling and disassembling them. In some of the prior art devices, the use of tubing creates an unwanted visual effect, compared to an effect in which the structure supporting the light arrays is inconspicuous. Generally, an ideal simulated tree will create a desired pleasing appearance, will be economic to manufacture, will require limited labor to assemble and disassemble, will be strong with respect to resisting the elements when installed outdoors, will be durable and long lasting, and will be compact to store. The present invention seeks to satisfy such criteria in a way, which is improved over the prior art.
An object of the invention is to provide a simulated Christmas tree shape by means of interconnected electric light bulbs. A further object is to provide a simulated tree which is pre-assembled to a high degree, so little labor is required for assembly, but at the same time the tree should be collapsible into a compact shape for storage. A still further object is to provide an article, which is economic to manufacture, light in weight, and durable with respect to resisting elements when installed outside.
In accord with the invention a simulated tree, suitable for Christmas use, is comprised of a base, a center pole running upward from the base, and a hub at the top of the center pole. A multiplicity of light string segments run downwardly from the hub, along slant-heights of an imaginary cone. And, there is at least one hoop (preferably several) having a diameter greater than the hub, lying in a horizontal plane at an elevation lower than the hub. The hoops are attached to and suspended in space by the several light string segments. The hoop(s) makes the light string segments and their illuminated bulbs define a conical shape, thus simulating a Christmas tree shape.
Preferably, there are three hoops and they nest one within the other with clearance. One is near the base and the other two are at intermediate elevations. And there are horizontal tie wires which interconnect the light string segments at elevations between the hoops, to maintain good spacing of the segments. Miniature bulbs of the light strings are positioned at the intersections of the segments with the hoops and tie wires. The hoops are relatively rigid, compared to the flexible conductor wires of the string segments or the tie wires.
Thus, the combination of semi-rigid or stiff hoops, and flexible, wires provides a good uniform appearance to the tree during use. The combination also, but also enables the bulb array of the tree, or the net, to collapse into a flat shape for storage. To further carry out the object of collapsibility, or being able to be knocked down, the tree which has a center tree is comprised of three segments and it is detachable from the base. The hub is also detachable from the top of the pole. A pinnacle decoration, such as a star, detachably mounts on the top of the hub. Thus, the tree is adapted for knock down, and for convenient shipment and storage in a relatively small box.
Preferably, the light string segments are comprised of electrically separate strings. Thus, through the use of control bulbs or other means, the different strings/segments can be made to blink on and off at different times. A translucent illuminated star has bulbs which are electrically connected to at least two different strings, so the star blinks on and off at a rate twice the rate of any string.